Where You Birth Matters, Part Two: Water Birth

With the upcoming screening of the locally produced documentary Why Not Home? The Surprising Birth Choices of Physicians and Nurses, we thought it was a good time to have a community conversation about the importance of birth location. In this series, we’ll take a comprehensive look at birthing locations and outcomes, including the hormonal process, the safety of out-of-hospital birth and associated studies, obstacles around fees and access, and ways families can afford a supported birth experience. Plus, we’ll let you hear directly from families about why they value and fought hard for a birth experience that should be everyone’s right~ safe, supported, and dignified.

In Part Two of this series, we are bringing back a past blog piece on water birth. Midwife Bee Lauher looks at why and how water birth works as well as busting a few myths.

Where You Birth Matters, Part Two: The Wisdom Of Water Birth

When a laboring woman steps into the birth tub the atmosphere changes, voices quiet and the softness of her body is noticeable.

Midwives have known for decades that warm water is one of the most powerful tools we have in reducing pain and tension in child birth. And yet, in the medical model of care, we are still seeing fear and resistance to letting women soak their bodies in water during labor and birth.

Recently, I was in Indonesia meeting with an Obstetrician and his group of students at a local hospital. We were discussing the differences between maternity care in the U.S. verses Indonesia. He asked, somewhat startled, “You don’t do water birth do you?” I replied, “Of course, more than half of the births I attend are water births.” His jaw dropped a little and he said, “You let babies eat their mom’s poop!” The table erupted in laughter. It was funny, but it also reflected that the medical world is still in the dark about the safety and benefits of hydrotherapy in birth.

The majority of hospitals in California will allow a laboring Mama to get in the shower for short periods between of time while being connected to a hospital bed for electronic fetal monitoring. Rarely are you able to be in active labor in the shower, and if you are blessed to find a hospital that offers a birthing tub, it is unlikely that you will be allowed to birth in it.

Midwives are skillfully trained in the art of monitoring fetal heart tones in any position, in any room. We use water proof hand held dopplers which allows us to keep a close eye (or ear) on your baby while you are in the tub.

There are many myths revolving around the risks of water birth. The primary myth is that the baby will take a breath underwater and aspirate fluid into the lungs. Rather, a healthy baby that has been thriving during labor and born into the water will be perfectly safe and will not inhale water due to the design of their throat. The larynx has 5 times more taste buds then the tongue does, which allows it to interpret solutions as they hit the back of the throat. As the solution passes the larynx the taste buds will signal the glottis to automatically close, while at the same time swallowing anything in the mouth. This automatic response is called the Dive Reflex. All healthy active babies have one. Indeed, it is believed that infants are born with this reflex so that they can easily breastfeed and not inhale milk.

By facilitating mobility and reducing stress related hormones, while at the same time increasing oxytocin and endorphins (which neutralize pain and encourage a trance like state during labor), midwives have have seen and experienced the following benefits of water birth:

• Enables the mother to assume any position which is comfortable for labor and birth
• Speeds up labor
• Reduces blood pressure
• Gives mother more control of body
• Provides significant pain relief
• Promotes relaxation
• Conserves her energy
• Reduces the need for drugs
• Gives mother a private and protected space
• Causes the perineum to become more elastic and relaxed, reducing the incidence and severity of tearing and the need for an episiotomy and stitches
• Reduces cesarean section rates and transports to the hospital for pain management
• Encourages an easier birth for mother and a gentler welcome for baby

It is a common belief that because babies have been happily floating in warm water for the last 40 weeks or so that birthing a baby into the water ensures a smooth and gentle transition into life with gravity. These babies are less likely to be stressed by a harsh environment. They are more likely to be born into their Mama’s hands, quietly, gently, and peacefully.

Of course, there are situations that are not ideal for a water birth. Each mama and each baby are different and require individualized care to create a birth plan for you.

For more information about water birth or the benefits of laboring in water, contact Thrive. We are more then happy to discuss your birthing options!
Love, Bee Lauher, LM, CPM

*For more information the birth photographer who can took the photo above, please contact Seana Burglund and see her website here.

Tessa’s therapeutic nutrition practice is an incredible asset to our community. I’ve attended two of her classes, and I absolutely love learning from her! She is very experienced and extremely knowledgable. Her passion for health and helping others holistically, really shines in the foods she prepares, as well as the positive and relaxed environment she creates. The vibrant spread of food was unparalleled, pure & medicinal deliciousness! She introduced me to many new and exciting recipes t…

The ladies…were all stars throughout the whole pregnancy and birth. They answered all of my silly questions, even the ones I could have looked up in their all inclusive manual myself, at all times of the day (though I did try not to call at unreasonable times). They were warm and encouraging, and flexible (coming to me when it was more convenient for my husband and I who were also trying to fix up and move into a new house the last trimester!) I loved my checkup visits, seems weird to say/write …

Hands down the best and only option for me. The Midwives are now part of my new family. They were there for the most important, transformative experience of my life and they’ll be there when baby two comes into this world. Love, love, love them.

We recently took the 2 day holistic birthing class at Thrive. It was a fantastic class. There was great information presented in a relaxed environment. There were important discussions for both families birthing at the center and families going the hospital route. My husband and I felt more connected after the relaxation exercises and feel the class helped us mentally prepare the upcoming birth of our daughter.

I am an overworked individual who doesn’t have time to shop for healthy food, much less cook it at the end of a long day. When I met Tessa, it was such a blessing to have her work with me on my food situation. On top of being overworked, I needed to lose a few pounds. We worked out a plan that flowed so perfectly. Weekly, she would drop off the most gorgeous and healthy food that would last me all week. I even had enough to share!
She since has started creating incredible food for our mont…

I feel in some ways like they helped me hang the moon. I know they say that my experience is the norm as far as they’re concerned, but it’s really not the norm in our society, so I feel very lucky to have had such fantastic birth experiences. I recommend them to anyone looking for a midwife!

To the dad’s out there: take this class with your wife/significant other! Kelly spent a lot of time explaining the role dad plays in the process. I was nervous/unsure about what, if any role I would have but Kelly really reinforces the idea that delivery is a family event and helped us understand all the emotional and physical support mom needs throughout the process and how dad can best provide that support. Mom is definitely the star of the show, but dad is an important role-player and i…

I was all set to deliver at Kaiser, which my insurance from work fully covered, but as my pregnancy progressed, something important was missing from their care and I found myself pressured by and arguing with them when they didn’t respect my carefully researched decisions. I found myself dreading and afraid of the hospital birth. The Thrive Birth Center practices a totally different model of care, where they support mamas emotionally as well as physically, they respect mama’s choices without jud…

I cannot say enough wonderful things about my experience giving birth at Thrive with Caitlin and her team. This was my second child and I was excited to have a non-hospital birth, and I felt comfortable the whole way through in Caitlin’s hands. She has such a gentle confidence and nurturing spirit, and really showed her innate talent as a midwife on our delivery day — a supportive presence to support my own ability, but at the same time came in with some of her midwifery skills when I need…